UAE residents hoping to visit Europe “wasted” a whopping Dh20.6 million (€4.93 million) in 2024 due to rejected Schengen visa applications, according to a recent report.
Latest data revealed that a total of 260,229 visa applications were filed from the UAE — marking an 11.24 per cent increase from 2023. Of these, 61,738 applications were rejected, amounting to a 23.72 per cent rejection rate. The rejection rate was an 18 per cent rise compared to the previous year.
UAE residents made up 2.2 per cent of all global applications, placing the Emirates as the 10th highest country for application volume last year, according to Schengen Visa Info.
Schengen visa cost
The entry permit, which allows seamless travel across 29 European countries, cost €80 (Dh333) up until June 11, 2024, not including additional service and documentation fees. This brought the total spent by UAE applicants on Schengen visas in 2024 to nearly Dh87 million (€20.8 million).
In total, since 2014, UAE-based applicants have spent over Dh700 million (€170 million) on Schengen visa applications.
Top 10 Schengen destinations
Germany was the most preferred Schengen destination, receiving 32,956 applications from UAE residents. It granted 23,753 visas to UAE residents, resulting in an approval rate of 72.07 per cent.
However, Germany also recorded the highest number of rejections, with 8,778 visa applications denied.
Following Germany, the second most popular destination among UAE residents was the Netherlands, with 29,473 applications, followed by France in third place with 28,778 applications.
Switzerland ranked fourth as a sought-after Schengen destination with 27,148 applications, followed by Spain in fifth, which received 24,799.
Italy was the sixth most preferred destination with 23,240 applications, followed by Greece, which processed 17,974.
Eighth on the list was Denmark with 12,846 applications, followed by Norway with 12,007, and Hungary with 9,717.
Meanwhile, Lithuania received the least visa applications from the UAE, with just 202 submissions.
In total, 198,093 Schengen visas were granted to UAE residents last year. Poland was the easiest country to secure a visa from, approving 85.89 per cent of its 23,753 applications.
Meanwhile, Croatia and Denmark had the highest rejection rates, declining 53.03 per cent and 49.75 per cent of all applications from the UAE, respectively.
